Girdle



March 26, 1945. M. R. sHu ERT GIRDLE Filed June 11, 1945 INVENTOR JrTarn/EX Patented Mar. 26, 1946 QGIRDL'E ilMinna.R. Schuhert,1Saginaw, Mich., assignor .to

*Le-Moude Corset Company, Saginaw, Mich, 'a -corporation-of Michigan UNITED STATES PATENT .o Fi'FicE Applicationalunell, 1943, Serial No.-.490,533

"7 Claims.

I uncomfortable folds or creasesin thefront of the garment at the-lower margin. Another object is to provide: a new and useful back panel structure so arranged thatthe pulling z'forces .exerted'at the side edges of the front. panel, -inror'der' to confine andjbind the torso,..=shall be distributed obliquely across the backof the body xandiishallzbe anchored comfortably -at.or near thetip'o'f the hip bone at the opposite side. .Such rpu'lling forces are exerted whenever the body. is bent from-sideto sideor backward and forward; .or when turning, twisting, reaching or lifting.

Another object is to provide a back :panel arrangement that shall give to the upper spinal area from the neck to the waist line complete freedom toabend or move .in any direction,'thereby relieving the spine from tiring pressures: caused by too tight banding orgirdling.

A further object is to provide a. lacing arrangeiment .for the back panels wherein all flexing movements of the body ;can be made easier.

Considered as an article of manufacture my improvement is designed to attain the above objects'without employing any stretchable fabrics, such as elastic :gussets or inserts. Rubber need not. be used and only a few metalparts are employed, usually not more than six light upright stays and onev pair of fastener strips to each gar- -ment. The girth-adjusting lacings canbezmade :soshortasto 'requireonly a few eyelets.

Garments constructed according to my invention-give the figure 'a smooth .trimiappearance under all conditions of use'when worn either with dresses or other types of outer "garments. Di- :rect form-fitting control is exerted over all parts .that require-support, and the garment is adapted .-to-diiferent figure types.

:With the foregoing and certain other objects in 1view, which will appear later in the specifications, my invention'comprises the devices described and claimed-Land the equivalents thereof.

:In the. drawing 1 '-:is :a zplan "View of 3a igarmentJembody-ing my improvement as itappea-rs ;laid:.out with the outer: side uppermost;

Fig. 2 is a part-diagrammatic-viewtshowingwthe rear of thegarmenttas it appears inause; theeffect of :bending movements of the body'towardthe right-hand side-being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is :athree-quartersside viewv indicating the movement when bending forward slightly, the spine being indicated-by heavy .broken .lines and Fig. dis a rear view similartorFig. -2 but with the lacings omitted .and one :ofthe tapered :panels at the back being-shown unfastened-andhopen.

Referring to the drawing showing a typical embodiment of myclaimed invention, Fignlwis a developed plan viewof the garment.v ..-It "consists of two principal. parts joined. atdan upright; seam l, I, viz. the front,-shown atthe-rig-ht ofal-ine |,2l,, andthe back, illustratedat the. left.

The front" panel *is form-fitting and extends around the abdomen f-romJthe region of :onehipbone to therother. At the-'rightehand edge-52,32 is half of a -.h ook-and-eyecorset fastenerzl strip,

the other half :beingwatmargin 3,;3, :on thewback member.

As shown here, optional i-hose supporters =4, :4, l1, l8 are provided. Spaced stays 5. extendfrom the top margin of the front down towithina short distance of the bottom; the'purpose-"being 'to keep thefront panelspread smoothly so it can .ate their ends, the panels "I, 8 are capable of moving one upon the other to conform with body movements.

The upper and 'lo-wer'margins'of panels 1,"8

.extendyFig. 2, obliquelyracross' t'he wearers back.

For example, panel I is .securedalong its wider end to the side seam I, I ofthe front member and extends from I,'| which islocated 'atthe right-hand'side, Fig. 2, of athe wearers body, around the back to the hip-bone region 9 at .the left-handside, as shown in the surface shaded portion. "The narrower end of panel! is secured to the member 3, 3, being at the widerend portion of the band or panel -Panel fB is substantiallya duplicate of. panel but-has its wider portion at the half fastener strip 3, Figs. 1 and 3,

' lacings.

because persons with small figures prefer gar-j ments that have short lacings exerting a minimum degree of stiffness.

The short fasteners ll, I2 used in my device I besides possessing adequate adjustability for length of panel are more flexible and comfortable than conventional full length corset lacings, as will now be explained.

Referring to Fig. 3 it is seen that the lacing is unusually short in vertica1 direction. This arrangement gives the narrower portion of the panel! a capacity. for up-and-down creeping at one of its eyelet margins relatively to the'other and also permits the lacing to have pivoting hinge-like movements with respect to margin 3, whenever movements of the torso shall require.

In Fig. 3 the forward body'bending movements alluded to areind-icated by'dotted contour lines, and the curved and straight short arrows at [I show the nature and location of the hinge action and the creep at the lacing which I have just mentioned.

In some garments the lacings I I, 12 may be situated at the ends of the panels but in all such modifications the lacings shall constitute means for extending or shortening panels 1 and 8. One of the back panels, as I, is formed in its wider part with an upright slit l3 through-which the narrow portion l4'of the companion panel 8 slides freely, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. V

Upright stays are'provided in the back-panels in order that when overlapped they shall be kept smooth in th up-and-down direction. Panel 2 is provided with stays I9, and panel 8 has stays 2|, 22. The symmetricalarrangement of these four stays when the panels are overlapped is shown in Fig. 2. i

Having described the arrangement of parts of my improved garment in its fiat or developed f0rm,.their operation and advantages in use will now be explained, reference being had to Figs. 2, 3, 4, in particular.

The function of the back panels is to draw the .front panel snugly to the front of the body like a wide belt and hold it firmly, uniformly and comfortably tensioned allover. Y

.When' the torso is swayed toward the right, as

is indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 2, thebody tends to form a bulge approximately at the place indicated by numeral I2, and there is counter- If bodily swaying should occur in the opposite sense, that is, to the left, Fig. 2, bulging will occur near;ll and pull due to the internal pressure passes by way of band or panel 1 around the back tothe right, Fig. 2, and to edge I, I of the front panel, shown in Fig.1.

Moreover, if the body is bent forward as indicatedbythe dotted line and arrow inFig. 3, a

tendency to bulge develops at the lower part of the front panel, resulting in a forward and. downward pull on the wider ends of panels 1 and 8. The pulls at these seams are distributed around.

the back by panels 1 and 8 and are anchored to the opposite seams at the hip-bone region near II and l2,respectively. 1

Should a rotational movement ofthe torso occur, there will be localized up-andedown movements of the eyelet edge of lacings H and I2 relatively to each other. Such mutual accommodation of the two vertical 'lacer edges takes place because the lacings'll and [2 are short enough to shift in the manner indicated by the arrows,

Fig. 3 and to respond in a pivot-like manner to varied movements of the body.

Heretofore it has been deemed necessary to provide elastic gussets at the upper edges and also at the lower edges of girdles, but my inven-' tion attains suchaccommodation without any resilient inserts. In'Fig. 2 it is seen that the two panels I and 8 have their top andbottom' hem margins arranged obliquely, crossing each other at an angle in the median region of the back.

These angularly disposed home that define the tapered panel land 8 have the effect of being articulated when expandedby muscular action and consequently the body is allowed to expand or contract, increasing or decreasing its girth, as indicated by the double pointed arrow, Fig. 2.

This garment expands and contracts'withas' much freedom a when elastic'gussets are used.

Moreover, the taper of the overlapping panels 1, 8 gives the garment its shortest vertical dimenlength-adjustingmeans ll, l2 canbe loosened sufficiently to permitthe user-to step into'the girdle and then tighten th lacings or fasteners.

Hence certain claims are drawn to include in their scope such alternative features of the garments to which my invention may be applied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A girdle having in combination a form-fitting front portion, a back portion-comprising two bands tapered lengthwise and extending across the wearers back in overlapped arrange ment from one side diagonally to the opposite side at the hip-bone'regiomthe narrow end ofone of said bands and the wide end of the other being secured to an upright seam of the front portion, the said bands intermediate their ends being unattached to each other andadapted to' be shifted one upon .the other. in compliance with movements of the wearers body; girthadjusting means associated with the narrow end portion of each band; one band beingformed with a slit near its wide end slidingly receiving the 2. A girdle having incombination a form fit ting front portion, a unitary back portion comprising a pair of'taperedpanels,'the'widerend of each panel being secured to the narrower end of the other panel; said back portion having an upright edge secured to a side edge of said front portion and its other upright edge having means for releasable attachment to the other edge of said front portion; one panel being formed with a slit near its wider end adapted to slidingly receiv the narrower end portion of the other panel; and a length-adjuster associated with the narrower part of each panel.

3. A girdle having a form-fitting front portion and a back portion associated therewith comprising, a pair of panels tapered in the direction of their length; the narrower end portion of one panel overlapping the wider end portion of the other; the wider part of one panel being formed.

with a slit adapted to receive the narrow end portion of the other panel; length-adjusting lacings associated with the narrower part of each panel, the opposed eyelet edges of such lacings being capable of localized up-and-down and pivot-like movements relatively to each other compliant with varied movements of the torso.

4. A girdle having in combination, a formfitting front portion and a unitary back portion comprising two bands tapered lengthwise and extending in overlapped arrangement obliquely across each other, being unattached intermediate their ends; the wider end of each band being secured to the narrower end portion of the other band the wider end of one band being also secured to said form-fitting front portion; fastening means for releasably securing the wider edge of said other band to the said front portion, also girth adjusting means associated with such narrower end portions; spaced stays extending from the top margin of the front portion downwardly; upright stays secured in said overlapping back panels, the stays of one panel being arranged with respect to those of the other panel so as to define in the back a symmetrical arrangement of reinforcing members.

5. A girdle having a front support member and a back member, the latter comprising two tapered bands overlapping and adapted to slide one upon the other in th manner of a crossed sash, said bands being arranged to extend from each side of the wearers body obliquely downward to the other side, crossing each other in the median spinal region and there presenting the shortest vertical dimension at the back; the first of said tapered bands having its narrower end portion secured to the said front support member at the region of the hip-bone; the second band having its narrower end portion secured to the wider end portion of the first band; fastener means adapted to releasably secure together an upright edge of the front support member and the Wider end portion of said first band; articulated girth adjusting means associated with the narrow end portion of each band; one of said bands being'formed with a slit adapted to slidingly receive the narrow portion of the complemental band.

6. A girdle having a front support member and a back member, the latter comprising two tapered bands overlapping and adapted to slide one upon the other in the manner of a crossed sash, top hem margins of said bands being arranged to extend from each side of the wearers body obliquely downward to the other side, crossing each other at an angle in the median spinal region and there presenting the shortest vertical dimension of said back member; the first of said tapered bands having its narrower end portion secured to the said front support member at the region of the hip-bone; the second band member having its narrower end portion secured to the wider end portion of the first band; releasable fastener means adapted to secure an edge of the front support member to the wider edge of said first band; the wider ortion of said second band being joined to said front support member; one of said bands being formed with a slit adapted to slidingl receive the narrow portion of the complemental band; the above described bands being arranged and adapted to permit movement of one upon the other when the wearers body sways, bends or is xpanded by muscular action.

7. A girdle having a front support member and a back member secured thereto, said back member comprising two overlapped tapered bands each being secured at its narrower end 40 portion to the wider end portion of the other;

said front support being secured along one of its side edges to the wider nd portion of one of said bands, and having at its other side edge a halffastener strip adapted to releasably engage a complemental half-fastener strip provided on the wider edge portion of the other tapered hand; one of said bands being formed with a slit near its wider end and slidingly receiving the narrower end portion of the other band; and a lacing extending across the narrower part of each band for providing adjustments in length thereof and arranged to permit upand-down shifting movements at each lacing in compliance with movements of the wearers body.

MINNA R. SCHUBERT. 

